Since 2014, Wirral has been part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. But what does that actually mean for you and your family?
Put simply, it means more decisions about everyday things like transport, housing, jobs and skills are being made locally, not just by the government in Westminster. It also means Wirral can access funding and investment that individual councils cannot secure on their own, helping to bring improvements directly into our communities.
Having a directly elected Mayor gives the city region a single, accountable voice working with Wirral Council to stand up for local priorities - whether that’s cheaper transport, better job opportunities or support with the cost of living.
Steve Rotheram has been Mayor of the Liverpool City Region since 2017. Since then, he’s been working to build a fairer, more equal future for the 1.6 million people who live here - with a strong focus on making sure our area is the best place to grow up, grow a family and grow a business.
To help with the rising cost of living, the Mayor is freezing the Mayoral precept this year. In 2026/27, the precept remains £24.00 for a Band D property. Most households in Wirral will pay the Band A rate of £16.00 for the whole year - about £1.33 a month.
That contribution helps fund services and investment that benefit residents across Wirral and the wider city region.
Thousands of households across the city region have already benefited from a £105 million programme to make homes warmer and more energy efficient - helping families cut energy bills, stay warm in winter and improve their quality of life.
A record £700 million has also been secured for social and affordable housing, meaning more people in Wirral can access a decent, secure home they can actually afford.
Alongside this, tens of thousands of jobs and apprenticeships have been created across the city region, backed by more than £50 million invested in schools, colleges and training. This support is helping people of all ages gain the skills employers need and access better-paid, more secure work.
For young people, this means clearer pathways into jobs, training and apprenticeships closer to home, rather than having to leave the area to get on in life. And through programmes like Households into Work, hundreds of long-term unemployed residents have been supported to rebuild confidence, gain new skills and move back into employment.
In Wirral, over £5 million has been invested through Cradle to Career - piloted in North Birkenhead - helping vulnerable learners and improving child literacy. And £5.5 million has been awarded to Kindred to support the borough’s social trading sector, helping local social businesses grow and thrive.
Together, this work is about making sure opportunity isn’t determined by where you’re born - and that both today’s workforce and the next generation can build a future here in Wirral.
A £1.6 billion transport settlement is helping to create a public transport network that is cheaper, quicker and more reliable - making it easier to get to work, college, school and family.
This has included £2 single bus fares, capped fares for under-18s, new publicly owned trains and buses, and smart tap-and-go ticketing on the way - all designed to reduce costs and simplify journeys.
Plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail have also taken a major step forward, with £45 billion committed nationally and over £1 billion already agreed for early development. This will mean faster and more frequent trains between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington, improving connections and opening up new job opportunities across the North - including for people living in Wirral.
Wirral is already served by the new Merseyrail trains, part of a £500 million investment in the country’s first publicly owned fleet in a generation - including pioneering battery-powered technology. Contactless, tap-and-go travel is being introduced across the network to make journeys quicker and easier. Work is also expected to begin before the end of the decade on a new Merseyrail station at Woodchurch, reconnecting underserved communities with the wider network.
From this year, buses in Wirral will be brought back under local control for the first time in 40 years. Bus franchising will allow routes, fares and timetables to be planned around local needs, helping to make services more reliable and better connected to jobs, schools, healthcare and town centres.
Over £70 million has been put into walking and cycling routes to make active travel safer and more convenient.
The popular night bus service has also been reinstated, helping residents get across the Mersey safely in the early hours.
Wirral residents also benefit from one of the most generous concessionary travel schemes in the country. Free travel is available from age 60 - seven years earlier than the national scheme - supporting independence, access to work and training, and helping people stay connected to friends, family and essential services.
And the Wirral’s most iconic transport link is being renewed for the future: the Royal Daffodil, the first new Mersey Ferry in 60 years, will launch this year thanks to a £26 million investment by the Combined Authority.
Wirral has already benefited from significant, visible investment - including £6.5 million for the Eureka! Science + Discovery centre in Seacombe. Funding is helping to grow local jobs, improve our towns, and support local regeneration - with more to come through region-wide development programmes and investment zones. Around £4 million has also been invested in repairing roads and potholes across the borough.
The Liverpool City Region has committed to reaching net zero by 2035 - not just to cut carbon, but to help secure cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy for local people.
This means focusing on creating skilled local jobs, reducing exposure to rising energy costs and protecting communities from the increasing impacts of extreme weather.
Projects like Mersey Tidal Power could eventually generate enough renewable electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes, helping to build long-term energy security while supporting jobs and growth here in the region.
The 2026/27 council tax requirement is detailed below:
| 2026 to 2027 | |
|---|---|
| Gross Expenditure | £349,370,000 |
| Income and specific grants | -£208,740,000 |
| Income from Levy | -£110,303,000 |
| Contributions from Reserves | -£19,667,000 |
Council Tax Requirement |
£10,660,000 |
| Tax base | £444,165 |
Band D Equivalent |
£24.00 |
The movement in the gross expenditure budget is shown in the table below.
Gross expenditure 2025 to 2026 |
£292,713,000 |
| Additional Reserves funded expenditure | £5,569,000 |
| Net Change in Revenue Grant Funded Activity | £39,564,000 |
| Inflationary and other cost pressures | £5,079,000 |
| Transport Related cost pressures | £6,445,000 |
Gross Expenditure 2026 to 2027 |
£349,370,000 |
Find out more about the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s (LCRCA) transport responsibilities are funded through transport levies across each of the six councils. This funds concessionary travel, subsidised bus services, the Mersey Ferries and a range of other services.
The transport levy 2026 to 2027 for each of the Merseyside Councils within the LCRCA is:
| Transport Levy 2025 to 2026 |
Transport Levy 2026 to 2027 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Knowsley | £11,708,000 | £12,152,000 |
| Liverpool | £37,036,000 | £38,047,000 |
| Sefton | £20,788,000 | £21,401,000 |
| St Helens | £13,674,000 | £14,118,000 |
| Wirral | £23,884,000 | £24,585,000 |
Total |
£107,090,000 |
£110,303,000 |
For historical and legal reasons, Halton Borough Council currently provides transport activities directly within the boundaries of the borough of Halton.
The orders that created the Combined Authority allowed for a differential levy recognising that Halton Borough Council remains responsible for transport in the Halton area, whereas the other areas of the Combined Authority remain the responsibility of Merseytravel. This levy will be £3,558,000 for 2026 to 2027.
Mayor Steve Rotheram
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Mr John Fogarty, BA Hons
Executive Director of Corporate Services
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority